Vania



(No Model.) '2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

G. H. READ & A. D. THOMAS. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING GIEDERRAILS.

No. 452,732. Patented MaylQ, 1891.

INVENTORS. I

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet- 2.

C. H. READ & A. D. THOMAS. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING GI RAILS.No. 452,732. Patente 19, 1891.

| A I i I I U ITED STATES CHARLES H. READ AND ACI'IILLE D.

PATENT QFFICE.

THOMAS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYL- VANIA; SAID THOMAS ASSIGNOR TO SAID READ.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,732, dated May 19,1891. Application filed January 12, 1891. Serial No. 377,467. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES II. READ and ACHILLE D. THOMAS, both ofPittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveinventeds a new and useful Improvement in Methods of and Apparatus forRolling Girder-Rails, due, of which the following'is a full, clear, andexact description.

Our improvement relates to the formation by means of rolls from a bloomor bar of iron or steel (usually the latter) of girder-rails or othersimilar articles of irregular shape in cross-section, andthe parts ofwhich are thin relatively to the thickness of the bar from which theyare made. Various methods of operation and conformations of rolls forthis purpose have been used, or proposed to be used, with greater orless success; and the object of our invention is to overcome thedifficulties which are encountered in rolling such articles, to simplifythe process by reducing the number of passes necessary to be used, andalso to secure better results by avoiding the necessity of using thedummy-pass at all on account of the practical difficulty 01": cf-

fecting a lateral expansion of metal (and es-' pecially of steel) whenpassing through the rolls.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective representationof a portion of a girder-rail. Fig. 2 is a view of a three-high set ofrolls, the middle roll being in side elevation and the other two inlongitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a similar view of another set ofthree-high rolls.

Like symbols of reference indicate like parts wherever they occur.

Roughing-rolls are those in which the bar or piece of iron or steel fromwhich the rail or other article is to be made is changed incross-sectional shape on its passage through the several passes until itreceives a shape differing essentially from that of the initial bar andsimilar, excepting in the relative thickness and size of the parts, tothe final shape of the finished article, while the finishing-rolls arethose in which the same general shape of the article is preserved in thesuccessive passes, the relative thickness or the dimensions of the partsbeing gradually altered until the desired final shape is attained.

In the formation of articles of irregular shape-such as girder-railsitbecomes necessary that the metal should be considerably widened at theupper part forming the head and tram, and also at the lower part formingthe foot or flange of the rail, while the intermediate portion or web isvery much reduced.

In the shaping of iron and steel by passing it through grooved rolls thenatural tendency is to elongate the metal without materially increasingits depth or width, and it has been found very difficult successfully toincrease the width of a steel-bar by rolling. In order to accomplishthis, grooves or passes are made in the rolls which compress the metalvertically, or at right angles to the axes of the rolls, and permit itto expand laterally in a direction parallel thereto. Such passes areordinarily called dummy passes, while those passes which compact themetal laterally, and allow it to expand or thicken vertically are callededging-passes. WVe shall so use these terms in this specification.

It is manifest by looking at the shape of a girder-rail (shown inFig. 1) that a rectangular bar of steel would require to be very greatlywidened at top and bottom in order to assume the shape shown in thatfigure.

This has heretofore been effected largely by the use of dummy-passes inthe roughingrolls, either consecutively or alternately; but as such useinvolves the lateral expansion of the metal in the rolls it is difficultof successful operation; besides it is obviously impossible to spreadthe metal both at the head and foot of the rail by means of adummy-pass.

The accompanying drawings show the use of three-high rolls; but it willbe understood by those skilled in the art that a pair of twohigh rollsmight be used with the same passes.

In the drawings the passes are numbered consecutively from 1 to 11, andwe Wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the useof the same number of passes either in the roughing or finishing rolls.The part of the rolls is designated in each case by the line 00 a).

Starting with a rectangular piece of iron or steel at a proper heat, itis introduced into pass No. 1 with two opposite angles in a verticalline. Pass No. 1 is of the shape known as Gothic? By this pass each ofthe four sides of the bar is curved inwardly, thus forming at each anglea curved projecting point a (L l) l). Themetalis then inserted into passNo. 2, which is also a Gothic pass with somewhat greater curvature onthe sides of the groove. An important step is also taken by thereduction of the smallest diameter of the bar, owing to the diminishedradius of curvature of the sides of the groove. The bar then receives aquarter-turn and enters the next or third pass, which is rectangular,the groove in the rolls being somewhat Wider than the depth of the pass.The upper and lower rolls have each a collar of the shape incrosssection of the arc of a circle, the versed sine of the upper collarbeing preferably longer than that of the under collar. The bar of metalbeing now entered into pass No. 3 is transformed to the shape (incross'section) of that pass, not by the lateral expansion of the metal,nor even by the elongation of the bloom, (except perhaps slightly,) butby the bending over of the four rounded corners a a b h, thus flatteningthe bloom or bar 011 the upper and lower surfaces and leaving a cavityat each side, This is an important step and serves to distinguish ourprocess from others. The recesses at the sides just mentioned serve toprovide for the otherwise necessary displacement of a large amount ofmetal at the web of the rail, while the lower fiat surface forms theunder face of the flange and the upper flat surface serves to form thehead and tram at the top of the rail, the curved depression on the upperside preserved by a collar in the groove serving as the initiative ofthe depression for the tram.

Pass No. i is an oblique pass, the shape of which is shown in thedrawings. The functions of this pass are important, complex, andextremely effective, in that it reduces the sectional area, adds to theheight of the rail, and widens the tram. This result is due in part tothe angle of inclination of the pass and the points at which the rollsare caused to part-namely, the upper right-hand and lower left handcorners. This parting of the rolls above and below the center linecauses live action to take effect over the entire mass that is broughtin contact with the metal with the effect of rapidly reducing the web inthickness, reducing the flanges in width and thickness, spreading themetal laterally in the direction of the height of the rail, and, mostimportant of all, arresting the tendency of the tram to be reduced orrolled toward the head and actually exerting an act-ion that wouldspread it were it not confined by the limits of that portion of thegroove. The total effect of this pass is advantageous in the extreme,and is another step serving to distinguish our process from all others.

Pass No. 5, while apparently the same as No. 4:, is quite different inits effect, and serves to reduce still further the thickness of all theparts, without, however, adding to the height of the rail or the widthof the train. It is to a certain extent necessary as an intermediatepass preparing for and loading to pass No. 6.

In pass No. (5 that portion of the upper face of the rail which formsthe tram is elongated. This is secured by the larger diameter of theupper roll at the point marked 0 than of the middle or lower roll at thepoint marked 6, the elfect being that the upper roll, having a greatersurface speed at the point 0 than the lower or middle roll at the point0, causes a rubbing or drawing-out action, which results in thelengthening of the tram portion of the rail, while at the same time theweb of the rail is reduced in thickness, as well as the flange somewhatin length. The live or effective action of the rolls in extending orwidening the tram in this pass is the same in principle as that whichtakes place in pass No. 4 at a similar point, and were it not for therubbing or spreading action referred to above, the rolls would reduce orrob back the tram toward the head, an action sought to be avoided.

The above dimensions of grooves are given by way of illustration and toaid in the de scription of the action of the rolls. \Ve do not, however,intend in any way to limit our invention to the use of rolls of thosedimensions or to the manufacture of girder-rails of any particular size,nor to the exact number or order of succession, or exact size or shapeof the passes, or the amount of draft, as it will be apparent that theshape of the rail might be varied somewhat and that a small rail rolledon a large train would take fewer passes than if rolled in a small trainor than a large rail would if rolled on a small train.

The passes described in the foregoing description and accompanyingdrawings are such as would be used or turned for a train having itsroughing-rolls twenty-six to twenty-eight inches in diameterand for themanufacture of a six-inch-high rail.

In the next or seventh pass the formation of the step or depression ontop of the rail to form the tram is commenced. As before stated,provision had been made for this by the curved depression on top of therail, and as the bar goes through the seventh pass the step is formed bydepressing the upper surface of the rail, commencing at the curveddepression, which thus forms part of the tram, as shown in Fig.3. Theother passes from No. 7 to No. 10 are ordinary reducing or edgingpasses, which, while preserving the same general conformation, graduallyreduce the thickness of the parts of the rail until the desired finalshape is attained, as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be noticed that byour method of operation girder-rails may berolled with very wide head, tram, and flanges. This is one of thespecial advantages of our invention resulting from dispensing with theuse of the dummy-pass.

\Ve have shown in our drawings and de- "of the tram is turned up, orgrooved rails, in

which there is agroove between the head and tram.

WVe have described the use of two Gothic passes as the first step of ourprocess; but it is obvious that one might suflice, or more than two beused, or blooms with projecting corners, substantially such as producedby a Gothic pass, might be specially prepared in a separateblooming-mill, adapted to be introduced into pass N0. 3 of ourapparatus. In such case these prepared blooms Would,if allowed to cool,he reheated before passing through our rolls.

lVhat We claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The method herein described of rolling flanged girder-rails,consisting substantially of the following steps,'viz: first, forming abloom or bar of iron or steel of substantiallystar-shaped cross-section,having projecting edges at the four corners and a longitudinal cavity orgroove between these projections on each side; secondly, flatteningthese four projecting edges so as to form a bar with a substantiallyflat upper and lower face and a deep longitudinal depression or grooveon each side; thirdly, passing such grooved bar through one or moreoblique passes (substantially such as passes 4E and 6 in the accompanying drawings) in a set of roughing-rolls for the reduction of the webportion and the reduction of the foot-flange and head and extension ofthe tram flange of the rail, and, fourthly, finally finishing such barintoa rail of the desired shape by the gradua-lreducing action of thegrooves of a set of finishing-rolls, substantially as hereinbeforedescribed.

2. As a step in the process of rolling girderrails and similar flangedarticles, rolling a bloom or bar in a Gothic pass so as to formprojecting corners and flattening such bloom on two sides, thus leavinga recess on the two other sides, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

3. As a step in the process of rolling girderrails and similar flangedarticles, rolling a bloom or bar of star-shaped cross-section with fourprojecting corners, rolling down the projecting corners so as to flattenthe bar at top and bottom to form a recess on each side,'and forming acurved depression on top and lengthwise of the bar, substantially as andfor the purposes described.

4:. In the manufacture of girder-rails and similar flanged articles,passing the bloom or bar through a succession of passes in grooved rollswithout the intervention of dummy passes, substantially as described.

5. In rolling girder-rails and similar flanged articles, the method offorming the flanged portions of somewhat greater width than nec' essaryfor the finished rail in the grooves of the roughingrolls, and finallyreducing such width in the finishing-rolls, substantially as described.

6. In a set of rolls for rolling girder-rails, one or more Gothic orstar-shaped passes, in combination with a groove or pass substantiallyrectangular in cross-section, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

7. In a set of rolls for rolling girder-rails, one or more Gothic orstar-shaped passes or grooves, in combination with a substantiallyrectangular groove or pass having a projecting curved collar inside andat the base of the groove, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

8. A set of roughing-rolls for rolling girder rails, having one or moreGothic grooves or passes, in combination with a series of grooves orpasses, substantially such as are numbered 3 to 8 in the foregoingdescription.

9. Rolls for rolling girder rails, provided with a series of grooves orpasses having the respective configuration hereinbefore described, andillustrated by the numbers 1 to 11, inclusive, substantially ashereinbefore described.

10. In a set of rolls for rolling girder-rails, a pass such as No. 0,hereinbefore described, whereby live action is exerted on substantiallythe entire surface of the metal, causing reduction generally exceptingon the tram, where spreading takes place owing to the rubbing motioncaused by the different diameters of the two rolls.

11. In rolls for rolling flanged girder-rails, one or more obliquepasses, substantially such as No. 6, in which the collar of one roll ofthe pair extends into the field of and forms one side of the groove inthe other roll of the pair at such angle, substantially as shown, thatby reason of the greater surface speed of the extended portion of theformer roll as compared with that of the body of the lateral roll atthat point produces a drawing-out action on that part of the railsimultaneously with a live action on all the other surfaces of the railwhich are in contact with the groove surfaces of the rolls,substantially as described.

12. In rolls for rolling flanged girder-rails, one or more obliquepasses, substantially such as designated Nos. 4 and 6, in which byreason of the downward pressure ofthe upper roll on the inclined surfaceof the rail and the parting of the rolls at the base of the groove themetal is not only drawn longitudinally, but also spread laterally in thedirection of the height of the rail, while the tendency to reducingaction on the flange of the railis counteracted, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 3d day ofJanuary, A. D. 1891.

CHARLES. H. READ. AOHILLE D. THOMAS. \Vitnesses:

THOMAS W. BAKEWELL, 'W. B. Oonwm.

IIS

